


Consequences of the Truth

by A Magiluna Stormwriter (ariestess)



Series: ECWeek 2018 [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, ECWeek 2018, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Suicidal Thoughts, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 10:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14400660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/pseuds/A%20Magiluna%20Stormwriter
Summary: "Just let me go.Please?I'm tired and I don't want to do this anymore.  You'll both be better off without me poisoning you just by association with me."  She picks up the vial and stares at how it catches the light.  "This will make sure that you both get a fresh start, free of my damning influence.  Just let me do this."





	Consequences of the Truth

**Author's Note:**

> Date Written: 21-22 April 2018  
> Word Count: 1403  
> Written for: ECWeek 2018  
> Prompt: Day 2 - Amnesia  
> Summary: "Just let me go. _Please?_ I'm tired and I don't want to do this anymore. You'll both be better off without me poisoning you just by association with me." She picks up the vial and stares at how it catches the light. "This will make sure that you both get a fresh start, free of my damning influence. Just let me do this."  
>  Spoilers: Canon divergent AU starting with S2. This particular piece takes places after the events of ep 02x03 "Lady of the Lake", particularly after Henry snuck into the vault and David had to save him from the Agrabahn vipers.  
> Warnings: Suicide ideation  
> Series: Uncovered Truths  
> Website: ShatterStorm Productions – Doggie Duo  
> Link to: http://bdkk.shatterstorm.net/  
> Archive: ShatterStorm Productions & AO3 only…all others ask for permission & we'll see…  
> Feedback: Constructive criticism is always welcome.
> 
> Author’s Disclaimer: "Once Upon a Time," the characters, and situations depicted are the property of Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Kitsis/Horowitz, and ABC Studios. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "Once Upon a Time," ABC, or any representatives of the actors.
> 
> Author’s Notes: Okay, so I kind of interpreted the prompt a little differently here than I initially intended, but I rather like how it came out in the end. And yes, this is rather angsty on Regina's part. Remember how filled with self-loathing she was back in S2 as she was fighting the darkness and taking those first tentative baby steps on her path to redemption. And yes, David is vacillating on how he feels and reacts to what she's saying and what's going on. That's intentional. Just trust me, okay?
> 
> Note: Any dialogue in _"italics"_ is Regina's Head!EQ.
> 
> Dedication: My muses, as usual… 
> 
> Beta: theonlyspl got a cursory first glance over this, but any remaining errors are entirely on my stubborn ass. Polite concrit goes a long way to getting errors fixed.

Footsteps scraping on the stone stairs alert her to a visitor. They're too heavy to be Henry's; not that she expects him to ever come near this vault again of his own volition. For that matter, she's not sure he'll ever be close to _her_ either, not after what he did today. No, these footfalls hold far more purpose and gravitas than that of her ten-year-old son.

"Regina?"

Of _course_ , it's David. Of fucking course. She bites back a growl and continues to mix the potion before her. It's such a precise practice; one misstep and the potion is not only ruined, but made potentially more hazardous to the maker. However defeated and cornered she may feel, she is far from stupidly suicidal.

_"Or is that suicidally stupid?"_

"Does it really matter?" she mutters, watching the potion for a moment.

"Regina?"

_"Still here? Fantastic! You know he's here to kill you for what happened to Henry."_

"Shut _up_ ," she hisses, then clears her throat to call out in a louder voice. "In here." Magic opens the door for him as she reaches for the next ingredient.

"How big is this place?" David asks as he steps into the room. "I feel like I didn't see this door when I was here with Henry."

"You weren't supposed to."

She feels his gaze fall to her face, his scrutiny intense. She tries to continue with the potion, not wanting to waste time, energy, or ingredients, but her composure is shot by the events of the past couple days, as well as his nearness. She still hasn't fully processed exactly what this man is to her. She's not sure she ever will. The oppressive silence weighs heavily on her soul until she tears her gaze away from her now complete potion to stare at him.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

He flinches at her outburst, which gives her a tiny bit of enjoyment, but he doesn't stop staring at her. "What happened last night? And what are you making?"

"The former is… _complicated_. The latter is a solution to that and every other problem I have right now."

"You're not going to kill yourself, are you? Henry would--"

"Henry would likely be happy to be rid of the Evil Queen, just like the rest of you." When his lips part, she holds up a hand. "Please spare me your lies and hope speeches. We both know you don't believe any of it is true where I'm concerned."

"That has nothing to do with Henry."

She swallows convulsively around a heart-sized lump in her throat. "It has _everything_ to do with Henry."

_"It has everything to do with him, too. Admit it. You want him to be your soulmate. You want to have this piece of purity in your life, just like when you had Daniel."_

She wants to scream, wants to tear this entire vault apart, but she only swallows again, chin trembling with the effort of holding it all in.

"Regina, he's a child."

"Yes, he is. A child who has learned that the woman who raised him and loved him more than her own life is exactly as evil and unredeemable as everyone else thinks she is. Just… Just let me go, Charming. Let me dissolve into the realms of folktale and fantasy. It'll be easier for him. You're his grandfather, you'll make sure he finishes school and makes something of his life, right?"

"Regina, stop! This is insane! You're talking about killing yourself!"

"No, not killing."

_"Yes, killing. You're a fucking coward!"_

"Then what? Because what you're saying sounds pretty damned fatal. And what is that you're making?"

She smiles sadly at him, unable to take her eyes off of him for some reason. "It's something of my own making, a blend of a forgetting potion and a sleeping curse. Likely the first and last of its kind. My True Love died at my mother's hands, thanks to your wife's inability to keep a secret. My son has no desire to have me in his life. His love is conditional on something that is highly improbable, if not impossible, for me to accomplish. So, I can take this now and just let him, and the rest of you, begin the mourning process in earnest, or I can basically kill myself to make the improbable a reality, then take this potion when he's reunited with the family he prefers. Either way, I lose."

"You won't lose him."

The utter conviction in his voice is her undoing. "You took him away from me. You likely coddled him and spoiled him, so he thought it was okay to lie to me and--"

"You lied to him, Regina! He's a child and this is how he sees himself getting on even ground with you."

She shakes her head, an anguished sob bursting past her lips. "It doesn't matter. He'll never forgive me, never give me another chance." And then her voice turns acidic. "He has his grandfather as a prime example of how to treat the Evil Queen."

"That's not f--"

" _Life_ isn't fair, David! It's bad enough that I've lost my son, now I'm also losing my soulm--" Her eyes go wide when she realizes what she's almost said.

His eyes narrow then. "Also losing your what, Regina?"

"Just let me go. _Please?_ I'm tired and I don't want to do this anymore. You'll both be better off without me poisoning you just by association with me." She picks up the vial and stares at how it catches the light. "This will make sure that you both get a fresh start, free of my damning influence. Just let me do this."

"Why--" His eyes narrow, then widen so quickly, it's _almost_ enough to make her laugh. "You think I'm your soulmate. How is that even possible? Snow and I--"

"True Love, I know. Trust me, Charming, we _all_ know. It doesn't matter. I've never trusted fairies, so why the hell should I trust their damned pixie dust? It's just one more thing to add to the list of reasons why I'll never get a fair shake in life. And if you'll let me take this damned potion, I can simply forget anything and everything about it."

"No, I can't do that." He steps closer to her, tentatively reaches out to cup her hand holding the vial. "You don't really want to do this, Regina, and I think we both know that. You love Henry more than anything and wouldn't want to see him hurt--"

"But I _did_ hurt him. I'm no better a mother than--" She practically chokes on the pain lancing through her heart. "I did everything to Henry that I vowed I wouldn't. I _deserve_ to be punished. An eternity of living in a sleeping curse seems pretty fitting, doesn't it?"

"I won't let you do this, Regina. I won't let you destroy yourself and your relationship with Henry when you can do what you promised him."

"I don't know if I can bring them back, David! That's the problem! And when he realizes that, Henry's just going to hate me even more."

"That's not what I meant. I meant your promise to be a better person. A better person doesn't take the coward's way out. And a better person doesn't tell someone else that they're soulmates and then abandon that before anything can even be discussed about it. So no, Regina, I can't let you take this potion and be a coward. We'll figure something out, both to save my wife and daughter and to deal with this soulmates thing."

"There's noth--"

"You don't get the only say in this, Regina. We will discuss this later. For now, I'm taking you home. We'll stop by the loft to get a few things and Henry, then we're _all_ going back to the mansion. The best way for Henry to see that you're trying to be better and keep up your promises is by being there to see it. And that gives us the chance to talk when he's asleep." She starts to protest, but he just smiles that infuriatingly charming smile of his. "And I'm not going to accept any answer but yes."

"You're an idiot."

He shrugs, still smiling at her, especially when she sets the potion vial down. "Maybe I am, but you're not really fighting it, are you?"


End file.
